Radish Roses
by CheerUpSleepyJean
Summary: After nearly losing Pinky forever, the Brain admits to himself how much he really cares about his companion. The question is, can he admit it to Pinky? This takes place right after the Halloween episode. Cover art by me!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This fic takes place right after the events of "A Pinky and the Brain Halloween," which might be the slashiest episode in the series. It's so sweet; I just had to write a follow-up piece!**

 **Disclaimer: Pinky and the Brain belong to Warner Bros. and Steven Spielberg.**

Chapter 1:

The shrill squeaking of the exercise wheel awakens me, and I immediately scowl. If Snowball is on Pinky's wheel again, I swear I'll—

"Oh, good morning, Brain! Narf!"

I sit up, the events of last night rushing through my head. Glancing around, I notice that my throne disappeared, and my court has been reverted to a cage; the only change I welcome is the return of the blue-eyed mouse. After five days of separation, Pinky's presence is oddly satisfying, as if a puzzle missing a piece is now complete.

"Uh, good morning."

He bounds off the wheel, falls flat on his face with a giggle, and skips to his toy box. I watch as Pinky puts on a frilly green apron and picks up a thimble sitting nearby.

"I made you tea. With honey and eggplant juice, just how you like it!"

"Eggplant?"

Pinky's white brow furrows in concentration.

"Well, it was an odd little eggplant—all yellow and gone sour."

Hesitantly, I take a sip of tea; a combination of sweet, bitter, and tangy pleases my tongue and soothes my throat.

"I believe that was a lemon, Pinky."

"Definitely not, Brain. Lemons are blue—everyone knows that!"

Rolling my eyes, I take another sip. For all of his ridiculous behavior and unintelligent ramblings, Pinky can certainly make a good cup of green tea. I suddenly feel an unfamiliar twinge of guilt in my stomach.

"Pinky...you are without negative repercussions from recent events, correct?"

Eyes crossed, he stares at me blankly.

"That is...are you ok?"

"I'm as happy as a scallop! Zort! Why?"

"That's 'clam,' Pinky. And...oh, never mind."

It figures that that baffling creature has no problem being tortured; he's the only person I can name who derives pleasure from blows to the head.

"Perhaps I should have left you in Hades." I grumble sarcastically.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Pinky stiffen, then slump with a quiet "poit." He never has understood sarcasm...

My eyes widen as I ponder this occurrence further; if Pinky was that strongly affected by the mere mention of Hades, he couldn't be completely over the incident.

Instead of acting on this realization, I dither awkwardly. Should I attempt to comfort him? I know if the situation were reversed, Pinky would sweep me up in a hug, but the idea of initiating one myself is...well, it's not something I do. Suddenly, an idea forms in my prized brain.

"Pinky, I'm going out. Please try to restrain yourself from coating the walls in chocolate pudding during that time."

"Braaiin!"

Two pink paws latch onto my ankle, making me jump.

"Please don't go take over the world without me! Troz! I need to be there so you can ask me what I'm pondering and bop me on the head!"

Scowling, I pry his digits off my leg.

"It's not even 'tomorrow night,' Pinky! It's the middle of a Saturday afternoon, and I'm just going on an errand. I'm not going to take over the world without you!"

He sniffs loudly, looking up at me with the sky in his eyes.

"Promise?"

As loath as I am to admit it, my scowl wavers at his pathetic plea.

"I promise, my dear Pinky."

"Oh goody!"

The silly creature quickly bounds to his feet.

"In that case, can you pick up some oil and seasoning? I want to make sautéed food pellets for dinner tonight. And we can use the leftovers as juggling pins! Zort!"

I ignore this inane statement and crawl out the mail slot, refusing to be distracted from my mission. Ludicrously high level of pain tolerance or not, Pinky has been through a lot these past few days.

He deserves to finally get his "radish rose whatchamawhozits."

 **A/N: The tea is a nod to SylviaW1991 and skimmingsurfaces, who were the first to pick up on that sweet little detail in the show. If you haven't read their stuff, I encourage you to do so now! Both of them have so many good PatB fics that it's impossible for me to pick a favorite!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

It takes me mere minutes to deduce where I could find the kitchen tool in question, though the walk to Sur La Toilette and back would likely add an hour to my journey—one of the many disadvantages of being only three inches tall. When I conquer the world again, I will have to install moving sidewalks.

Still, I smirk as I walk; clearly, Mr. Itch only possesses a fraction of my intellect, if he could not complete the simple task of finding a piece of kitchen equipment. No wonder he failed.

The triumphant expression fades from my features. Despite my genius, I had come awfully close to being bested by that devil, to losing Pinky forever.

The first day without Pinky hadn't been much of a challenge. Although I was unused to the peace and quiet, writing out my first laws as new ruler had kept me busy.

On second day, as my minions worked to dismantle boundaries between states and countries and to erect multiple statues of my royal self, I decided to alter the palace. After adding the Royal Library, however, I hit a block. My creative powers only extended as far enough to come up with schemes for world domination. Despite some of his ridiculous ideas, Pinky had an eye for beauty; I had always planned to let him design our castle when we took over. Provided that I held veto power on his decisions.

During day three, I had been touring every continent to check on / be honored by my people. They showered me with glory and gifts: works of art, precious stones, fancy cheeses, and more. While I laughed and watched them bow, I found myself turning to speak to an empty space again and again ("go try some of that Roquefort, Pinky, it'll taste much better than food pellets," and "take this sapphire for your crown, Pinky—I want you to look like a proper world conqueror.")

The tour was over by day four, but I was tempted to leave the lab-turned-castle again within an hour. The peaceful quiet had become oppressive silence. That was when I dragged in Snowball to be my jester, simply for some levity, some laughter, some sound. I felt somewhat smug watching him jump around and jingle his idiotic bells, but the air remained heavy.

By day five, I barely had the energy to rise from my throne. It felt like when Pinky went to hell, he took all of my emotions, too.

I had sorely missed Pinky after just five days without him. What if I had lost him forever? To experience that loneliness, that emptiness, that stillness, that heaviness for the rest of my life...the thought is nightmarish.

"Ow!"

A smack to my enlarged cranium jars me from my musings. I peel myself off the surface and realize that I just walked into the clear glass door of Sur La Toilette.

"Ugh, the amount of brainpower I'm expending on that imbecile is unacceptable."

A patron of the store exits holding a bag of new, likely useless purchases. With a small shake of my head, I rush through the door before it shuts. Once inside, I force myself to focus on my goal: to find that garnish-making device for Pinky.

Pinky...

Am I really so reliant on that fool? My first instinct is to dismiss the thought, but I force myself to actually consider the prospect.

Pinky is hardly an essential to my plans of world domination, though his assistance has been valuable—not that I require him specifically, of course. Though, I must admit, his ramblings had inspired some of my most brilliant plans. Still, I hardly need him.

Yet I had fallen into such a funk when Pinky was stolen from my side, and I had fought demons and hellfire to get him back. If it wasn't because I need him, then perhaps I acted as I did...because I care about him.

My throat goes dry. I must have grown overly attached to that silly mouse; I can't deny that I've grown to consider him a friend, but could my feelings really run this deep?

That's pathetic.

That's terrifying.

That's the only logical explanation.

Memories rush through my head: exuberant hugs, perfect cups of tea, oddly charming verbal tics, the feeling of another warm body curled against mine in the bed on cold nights, the gentle curves of his body when he wears dresses, his beautiful sky blue eyes...

And as I stand in the middle of the isle of a store for overpriced cookware clutching a "radish rose whatchamawhozits," I realize that I am wholly in love with Pinky.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

I can hear my heart pounding in my large ears as this information sinks in. Clutching the kitchen tool to my chest, I look around frantically. Can anyone tell that I'm in love? That I'm weak? That I'm _gay_? I catch a glimpse of my reflection in a ladle; my cheeks are bright red and my pink eyes are wide.

Forcing myself to slow my breathing, I push away my paranoid thoughts. No one can see what I feel. No one has to know.

"This is a fine mess..." I mutter.

"I'm sorry?"

I jump slightly. Deep in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed that I had wandered into the checkout line, nor that it was my turn to pay. Hastily, I set the garnish-maker on the conveyor belt and toss a few bills at the cashier.

"So, you're awfully small, honey."

I stifle a groan. Small talk: the bane of my existence.

"Actually, I am a...a homosexual lab mouse buying a present for my companion in my quest to take over the world."

She blinks once, shrugs it off, then finished bagging my purchase.

"Have a nice day!"

I don't reply, launching back into my ponderings.

What if Snowball discovers my foolish folly? He would never take me seriously as an opponent again: after all, what kind of dictator falls for such a moron? He might even use my emotions against me—what if he threatens Pinky in exchange for my world domination strategies? I would be helpless!

Noticing that my heart is speeding again, I make myself take another deep breath and massage my head. No, not a soul must discover this fact. Not even...

Pinky!

I mustn't let him find out, either! What if he doesn't return the feelings? What if he does? The outcomes are equally frightening.

Exhaling deeply, I consider the terrible possibility that he might already be aware, considering how close we are. But then, I remember the miserable, despondent look that appeared on his sweet face whenever I mentioned food pellets; with his intellect, it was likely that Pinky was fully convinced that they were the only reason I wanted him back. No, he definitely doesn't know.

 _Pinky...?_

 _Troz! He said you could have the world, and all I had to give him was my soul. You said I was a speckless nougat, anyway—it seemed like such a bargain!_

 _Pinky, what have you done?!_

And that's why he left in the first place.

My eyes widen at the memory. It's not like I want Pinky to know how I feel, but could he really think I don't care at all?

Why else would he make that deal with the devil?

The idea stings my heart. I had been willing to give up not only the world, but even the possibility of conquest for him, and he still thinks I don't value him?

Well, I did claim it was for the food pellets. And it's not like Pinky is the sharpest knife in the drawer...for him to know I care, I would have to tell him directly.

My eyes widen, and I slap my own face, muttering, "pull yourself together, Brain." Expressing my feelings to Pinky is not an option, and I'm furious with myself for even considering it. There are numerous of reasons why I should keep my mouth shut—world conquest should be my only focus, it would make me vulnerable, the information could easily fall into the wrong paws, the emotion would become harder to repress—and only one reason to tell: if Pinky knows how much I really care, it might keep him from leaving my side again.

The pain I feel at the thought of losing the only mouse I've ever truly loved overrides logic. Finally reaching the lab, I open up the tool's packaging and grab a radish and a skewer from the kitchen. I ignore the protests of my analytical mind and start walking toward our home, where I can hear the squeak of Pinky's wheel. Holding the "whatchamawhozits" behind my back and a radish rose out in front of me, I step into the cage.

"Pinky...I have something to tell you."

 **A/N: The quote is from "A Pinky and the Brain Halloween," btw.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you so much for your nice review, Guest! I've been sick, so seeing that made my day!**

Chapter 4:

"Waaaaugh!"

As Pinky trips and flies off the exercise wheel, I wonder again how I fell for such a ridiculous creature. The adorable little giggle he lets loose when he hops to his hind feet answers my question.

"Hello!"

He's staring down at me with those wide, innocent eyes. I feel my throat and mouth go dry; am I really doing this?

"Yes, hello Pinky." Swallowing hard, I attempt to get any words out.

"Pinky...I wanted to tell you I, uh...that is, I've realized that...I mean, you're the only one I..."

My face is feeling hot, and he's looking at me with concern. Growling, I summon my courage; say it, just say it—

"This is for you!" I blurt out, shoving the radish rose in his face.

How romantic.

"Naaarf. Oh Brain, it's beautiful!"

Pinky buries his nose into the "flower" as if it actually has a sweet scent. Suddenly, he looks up, eyes glistening.

"Egad, I get it Brain!"

"You do?"

My heart pounds in my chest as he nods vigorously.

"You're trying to tell me that you have a radish rose whatchamawhozits! Zort!"

Oh, that fool. That charming, wonderful fool.

"Actually, Pinky..." I clear my throat.

"YOU have a 'radish rose whatchamawhozits!'" I thrust the tool at him.

"For me?! Oh, Brain!"

Dropping both items, he sweeps me into a hug. I stiffen in his arms.

"I'll have to throw a big dinner party to show everyone! Narf! Let's see, I'll invite—"

Blocking out his babbling, I concentrate on how the contact makes me feel, something I had always forced myself to ignore. There are no butterflies in my belly, like on those silly soap operas Pinky enjoys, but a feeling of warmth fills me from my toes to the tips of my ears. Relaxing, I pop my arms out of Pinky's vice-like grip and wrap them around his neck.

"...and Sis, and Romy, and Phar Fignewton, and—"

He abruptly stops rambling.

"Egad, Brain. You're hugging me."

"Indeed I am. I've always enjoyed your hugs, Pinky, even if I've never said so."

"Naaarf. Oh, me too, Brain! I love y-"

He suddenly falls silent, and slowly—reluctantly? —releases me from his arms.

"Your hugs. I love your hugs. Poit."

There's a light pink tint to his cheeks that makes my heart pound.

"Pinky—"

"Well, I'd better start planning for that dinner party! Ta-ta!"

He begins to skip away, and I stand there, stunned. Pinky couldn't possibly...I grab the end of his tail and haul him back.

"Wait, Pinky, I need to—"

No, he couldn't. He's such an affectionate creature; he would tell me.

Unless he still thinks I don't care.

"I need to ask you something."

After a moment's hesitation, his blue eyes focus on me.

"Why did you make that deal with Mr. Itch?"

"I wanted to give you the world, Brain! Troz! I wanted you to be happy—"

"And you thought I could be happy without you?"

His mouth opens slightly, but no words come out.

"My dear Pinky, I'm sorry that I've never adequately expressed this:" His face is shining with hope, and I draw enough strength from that to speak.

"You mean the world to me. That's why I went all the way to hell to find you—"

"But you said you wanted me to show you where I keep the food pellets."

Out of habit, I roll my eyes. Upon seeing the worry on Pinky's face, however, I take his warm paws in mine.

"I lied, Pinky, and I'm sorry for that. But I want you to know the truth now: I was willing to up any chance of achieving my destiny for you. I fought the devil for you. Pinky..."

This time, the words flow freely.

"I love you."

Time seems to grind to a halt as I wait for his reaction. Finally, a buck-toothed grin appears on his face. With an excited "narf!" he leans down and...

Oh. He's kissing me.

His huge snout is nearly in my eye, one of his big teeth is poking my lower lip, and I honestly don't give a rat's posterior.

I'm kissing Pinky.

Yes!

We break apart—far too soon for my tastes, but there will be more. In the meantime, there's work to do.

"Come, Pinky. We must prepare for tonight."

"Why? What are we gonna do tonight, Brain?"

I glance at my companion—my lover—and give him a small, tender smile.

"The same thing we do every night, Pinky: try to take over the world...together."

Hand in hand, we walk out of the cage to fulfill our destiny.


End file.
